Brumbaugh hired as new Geneseo superintendent

Adam Brumbaugh has been hired as the next Geneseo School District superintendent.

Lisa Depies

Adam Brumbaugh has been hired as the next Geneseo School District superintendent.

The school board officially approved Brumbaugh’s hiring during their Thursday, Dec. 14 meeting. He will replace Scott Kuffel, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

For Brumbaugh, who currently serves as superintendent in the West Carroll District, working in Geneseo will be a homecoming of sorts.

A native of Dallas City, near Quincy, Brumbaugh taught math at Cambridge High School early in his career.

“My oldest daughter was actually born at Hammond-Henry Hospital,” said Brumbaugh. “I’m excited for the chance to come back to Henry County and work for an outstanding school district.”

Last spring, Kuffel notified the school board of his plans to retire at the conclusion of the 2017-18 school year. Kuffel has been Geneseo’s superintendent since 2003.

The Geneseo School Board hired the IASB (Illinois Association of School Boards) to assist with the search for a new superintendent.

“They had a 29 candidate pool, which they narrowed down to six for us,” said school board president Doug Ford. “We had a nice pool of candidates from all different size districts.”

The school board interviewed all six candidates before selecting Brumbaugh.

Ford said the school board was impressed with Brumbaugh’s ability to lead and an initiative he created called “Thunder Way.”

The Thunder is the West Carroll mascot, said Brumbaugh. “We say there’s a wrong way to do things and a right way. The right way is known as the ‘Thunder Way.’ It’s our version of P.B.I.S. - Positive Behaviors Incentives and Support.”

The “Thunder Way” is a method used to encourage students and staff “to do the right things” both in the classroom and the community, explained Brumbaugh.

After graduating from high school in Dallas City, Brumbaugh attended Western Illinois University where he studied math. He then earned his teacher’s certificate, principal’s license and superintendent’s license all through Western Illinois.

In February, Brumbaugh will defend his dissertation at WIU on his way to earning his doctorate degree.

He has worked in the West Carroll School District for the past four years, serving two years as high school principal and two years

as superintendent.

The West Carroll District is a consolidated school district serving Thomson, Savanna and Mt. Carroll. The K-12 district is smaller than Geneseo and serves 1,100 students.

Brumbaugh said he applied for the Geneseo position because “it’s Geneseo.”

“That’s exactly what I told the school board during my interview. It’s Geneseo. Why isn’t every administrator across the state applying and interested in the position?” asked Brumbaugh.

During the interview process, Brumbaugh had the chance to tour each of the school buildings in Geneseo.

“I’m in awe of what they’ve done. The facilities are beautiful. You can tell there’s a lot of pride in facilities,” he said.

During the public open house at Geneseo High School, Brumbaugh had the chance to bring his family to visit the school.

“The kids were in awe,” said Brumbaugh, who has four children with his wife, Heidi. Their oldest, Aubrey, is 13, followed by Jackson, 11; Liberty, 9; and Annika, 6. All four will start in the Geneseo School District in the fall.

Though Brumbaugh’s official first day in the district will be July 1, he’s already working with Kuffel to ensure a smooth transition.

“Mr. Kuffel has been very generous with his time through e-mails, phone calls and a few face-to-face meetings. He’s done an outstanding job making the district what it is today, and I know he wants to continue what’s best for the district,” said Brumbaugh. “I appreciate the way he’s reached out to me.”

“Our main job as a school board is to hire a superintendent and let them lead the district,” said Ford, the school board president. “It’s nice to have somebody in place.”